Prince Edward Island to put up $12.2 million for potato diversion, destruction
More details about funding for potato growers on Prince Edward Island, including $12.2 million from the provincial government, have been released amid the ongoing export ban to the United States.
Officials announced late Tuesday the cost of the Surplus Potato Management Response Plan would be shared between P.E.I. and the federal government, with Ottawa contributing $28 million previously announced in December.
They say an estimated 131 million kilograms of potatoes will be diverted to processors, packers, dehydrators, food banks and other markets through the plan.
Producers will get up to 8.5 cents a pound for the disposal of potatoes, and current estimates project about 136 million kilograms will need to be destroyed -- representing just over one-tenth of the yield in P.E.I. in 2021.
Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said in a statement Tuesday officials knew the longer the ban lasted, the more likely it was that potatoes would eventually need to be destroyed, and now that day is here.
P.E.I. potatoes have been barred from entering the U.S. since November when fungal potato wart was discovered in two fields on the Island.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2022.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
7 suspects, including 13-year-old, charged following 'violent' home invasion north of Toronto
Seven teenage suspects, including a 13-year-old, have been arrested following a targeted and “violent” home invasion in Vaughan on Friday, police say.
After Trump's Project 2025 denials, he is tapping its authors and influencers for key roles
After being elected the 47th president on Nov. 5, Donald Trump is stocking his second administration with key players in the Project 2025 movement he temporarily shunned.
Widow of Chinese businessman who was executed for murder can sell her Vancouver house, court rules
A murder in China and a civil lawsuit in B.C. have been preventing the sale of multiple Vancouver homes, but one of them could soon hit the market after a court ruling.
These vascular risks are strongly associated with severe stroke, researchers say
Many risk factors can lead to a stroke, but the magnitude of risk from some of these conditions or behaviours may have a stronger association with severe stroke compared with mild stroke, according to a new study.
Retiring? Here's how to switch from saving for your golden years to spending
The last paycheque from a decades-long career arrives next Friday and the nest egg you built during those working years will now turn into a main source of income. It can be a jarring switch from saving for retirement to spending in retirement.
Lotto Max jackpot climbs to $80M, tying record for largest prize
The Lotto Max jackpot has climbed to $80 million for just the second time in Canadian lottery history.
Canadian neurosurgeons seek six patients for Musk's Neuralink brain study
Canadian neurosurgeons in partnership with Elon Musk's Neuralink have regulatory approval to recruit six patients with paralysis willing to have a thousand electrode contacts in their brains.
Black bear killed in self-defence after attack on dog-walker in Maple Ridge, B.C.
A black bear has died following a brawl with a man on a trail in Maple Ridge, B.C.
Trump picks Brooke Rollins to be agriculture secretary
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Brooke Rollins, president of the America First Policy Institute, to be agriculture secretary.